The disclosure relates generally to turbine systems, and more particularly, to a center plenum support for a multiwall turbine airfoil casting.
Traditional means for providing location and rib wall thickness control for the center plenum of a multiwall or double wall casting have been through the use of bumpers between the center plenum and the outer cooling passages. Bumpers are a raised pad on either the center plenum or cooling passages that limits the gap between these two features. Ideally, the bumpers would not touch, but occasionally they do, leaving a hole between the two cavities in the casting process. The number of holes formed from these connections is unknown, leading to uncertainty in the cooling flow distribution in the part.